The NewSpace industry involves cutting-edge technologies. It also raises cutting-edge product liability risks. Hundreds of entities can be involved in a launch, including launch service providers, spacecraft and component part manufacturers, payload manufacturers, launch site operators, and space flight participants. If something goes wrong during launch, orbit, or reentry, any one of these parties could potentially be at fault. Manufacturers of equipment that may be used in space should carefully assess their product liability risks—and proactively seek to mitigate those risks.

The newspace industry is seeing an increase in space launches and new entrants to the field. Companies engaged in this progressive market need to protect the tech innovations that give them a competitive edge.

The National Labor Relations Board recently ruled in McLaren Macomb that employee severance agreements with overly broad confidentiality and nondisparagement provisions violate the National Labor Relations Act. Recently, NLRB General Counsel Jennifer A. Abruzzo issued a memorandum to all regional directors, officers-in-charge, and resident officers to “assist Regions in responding to inquiries from workers, employers, labor organizations, and the public about implications stemming from the case.”

In a recent ruling, the National Labor Relations Board found an employer violated the National Labor Relations Act when it offered furloughed employees a severance agreement that included overbroad nondisparagement and confidentiality provisions.

Earlier this month, the Federal Communications Commission released a Notice of Inquiry directed at advancing the space economy by examining in-space servicing, assembly, and manufacturing activities.